It's beginning to look a lot like. . . Autumn: Bringing out the fall decor and pumpkins in all the colors of the rainbow!

Autumn mantlescape featuring traditional colors of the season. . . but there's hues in the pumpkin patch.

 
It's the season of "sweater weather", leaf-peepers and pumpkin spice, and with regard to the latter, we're spicing up our Autumn decor with colorful pumpkins. And, while we love the traditional shades of orange for fall's favorite gourd, we're mixing it up with pumpkins in other hues to suit the pallets throughout our home. The pumpkins, in colors of the rainbow, have arrived!

Green pumpkins match colors of the living room 

In the past, I didn't raise the ante on festive decorations this time of year as, we who live in Michigan know, the season is short. The transition between summer and winter can often be abrupt with 80 degree days quickly followed by frost warnings. But, in its defense, our Mitten state provides one of best, be it brief, fall spectacular shows, imho, in the country. The changing leaves of vibrant reds, yellows and orange are truly awesome and, accompanied by crisp, cool air that pairs perfectly with chai teas and hot chocolate - well, it really is a time that should be celebrated even if it's only a fraction of the many months of our legendary long winters. 

So, in recent years, I've been adding more to this short season's decor, primarily via pumpkins, and primarily pumpkins made of glass.

Mauve pumpkinette is welcomed in the guest room.

I've been collecting glass pumpkins for just over a decade, starting my obsession at a local art fair and continuing the pursuit in art galleries in not-so-far northern and western Michigan all the way to Newport, Rhode Island. As my assemblage of finely crafted faux fall fruit grows, their different shapes, sizes and hues provide even more opportunity to add a bit of seasonal spice to spaces where, perhaps, before no pumpkin dared to go.

Much of summer mantlescape replaced with Autumn decor

After removing the summer "mantlescape", replacing the forsythia with the berry and leaf wreath, I added the complementary orange and gold pumpkins. But, most of my house is not a plain, white back drop, so here's where the fun begins. . .

Our living room has muted shades of green with a sage sofa and soft teal rug. Enter: one emerald pumpkin and one "Monet" pumpkin with colors inspired by the French impressionist. Tres magnifique!

But, one pumkin that really thinks outside the patch, is my pumpkinette from the Glass Academy in Dearborn. Each year they have a special edition color and when I saw mauve hit their website last year, I was smitten. And, yes, it adds a bit of unconventional Autumn whimsey to our guest room where pinks, lavenders and purples are very welcome.

A great season to enjoy nature, cozy sweaters, spice tea and maple leaf cookies. 

Fall is a grand time of year and I now embrace it inside and out. To tweak an old adage, I have learned it is better to light up the season with a rainbow of pumpkins, than to curse its brevity.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Happy Autumn from Barb' Tea Service. Enjoy nature's dramatic scenery, in your favorite cozy sweater, while sipping a delicious chai tea with maple leaf cookies!

Happy International Podcast Day! Barb's Tea Service celebrates with Podcast 19!

 

September 30th is International Podcast Day and Barb's Tea Service celebrated in a most appropriate way: we were in the studio recording our 19th Podcast!

Although we're new to podcasting, we're even "newer" to International Podcast Day. We just discovered it today, hearing it get a brief shout out on a morning news show. We had already rescheduled our podcast with ONTV last week - our usual slot is on Friday - but we switched to Monday as we had been on the road for much of September.  How exciting to learn that we were podcasting on such a special day.

International Podcast Day!

In the studio today, a most appropriate way to celebrate:

  

With a little more digging, we discovered more about this holiday from, not surprisingly, National Podcast Day's website (International Podcast Day). Already just over a decade-old, it was created by Steve Lee in 2014. Inspired by a radio announcement declaring it National Senior Citizen's Day, Lee, a podcaster, thought his special interest, shared by a growing community, deserved its own day as well. September was chosen because the first podcast in 2004, was in September.

Gaining a following quickly, National Podcast Day was rebranded for global reach. It became "International" in 2015.

National Day Calendar states that International Podcast Day "dedicates September 30th to promote the growing media of podcasts and the technologies surrounding it. Around the world, people listen to their favorite podcasts to keep up with the latest news, technology, entertainment, or information."

Our first podcast started in March of this year and, it's clear, that along with my co-host/arm candy, Chris, we're having a lot of fun talking about our passion, tea and tea-adjacent topics. But, we also know there's a lot to learn in the world of "pod smiths" (a term we picked up from the fictional podcast crew of "Only Murders in the Building"). We're continuing to enhance our skills with another podcast class this week at ONTV. This training will bring a new dimension to Barb's Tea Service's "talk show" and we're excited to share this next level with you all very soon. 

In the meantime, a raised cup of your favorite tea and cheers to International Podcast Day!

                                                      🫖🫖🫖🫖🎙🎙🎙🎙

How to access Barb's Tea Service podcasts:

If you are looking to watch as well as listen, you can find us on YouTube, either directly on our station or ONTV's site:

• Barb's Tea Service - YouTube
• Orion Neighborhood Television - YouTube  (search "Barb's Tea Service")

To be automatically notified when our latest podcast hits YouTube, subscribe to our channel. We appreciate your "likes" and "comments".

Audio only (our half hour segments are perfect for a neighborhood-walk-listen or a short drive in the car), can be found on SoundCloud via ONTV (again, search "Barb's Tea Service"). Just download the SoundCloud app.

If you have an iPhone, you can find us on apple podcast. Search "Barb's Tea Service" and we'll show up on ONTV-local voice. 

Fridgescaping: Bridgerton to Fridgerton!

Barb's Tea Service attempts "fridgescaping" at up north cabin kitchen.

 

Aside from the "junk drawer", in many homes, including mine, the kitchen space that garners the least creative design energy is the refrigerator. My goal has always been to squeeze in as many groceries, in a Tetris-like challenge, onto the shelves and bins among yesterday's leftovers and last weekend's pizza box. But no more! At least according to a new trend that's gaining traction on social media:  "fridgescaping". 

This past week, fridgescaping popped up as headlines on many of my on-line magazines and "think pieces" (among them, Good Housekeeping and Buzzfeed). Although these sources both credit blogger, Kathy Purdue, for coining the phrase back in 2010, recent Twitter ("X") posts reaching over 6 million views have shown the idea is gaining traction.

So, what is fridgescaping? As spelled out in Buzzfeed, it is "decorating and organizing the inside of your fridge to look stylistically and aesthetically pleasing, typically using things like baskets, vases, pitchers, and other items to achieve a desired theme".

One popular Tik-Toker, Lynzi Judas, a 37-year-old from the Hudson Valley, scored thousands of fans with her fridgescaping, although she's only been designing for less than a month. Themes she has incorporated inside her refrigerator include Beetlejuice and Bridgerton, although of the latter she prefers to call it "Fridgerton".

Lynzi lists being more aware of current inventory and inspiration to cook more, among the benefits of frigescaping, while others caution that not all decorative containers are food safe and some produce, per Nicole Papantoniou, the director of Good Houskeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab, stays fresher in store-bought containers. 

With a relatively blank canvass - our refrigerator in our up north cabin - I thought I'd jump on the fridgescaping wagon and give it a try. My theme: moose. I chose this because it works with the environs and I have a number of moose decor items at the ready.

Completed in less than 15 minutes, and all that time truly shows, I put fresh flowers in the moose teapot, started a charcuterie mix in a moose bowl, and topped the assembly of bottled water, lite and N/A beer, orange juice and an almost full jar of salsa with a moose candle. It's no "Fridgerton", but what can be?

Bottom line take-away:  I don't think I'll hang with the fridgescaping wave.  Apart from the added time (even my 15 minutes could, arguably, find a better focus), I'm not a fan of putting picture frames and knick-knacks where I keep my food. However, I greatly admire the concept. Something so absurd and unnecessary has a certain charm, not to mention millions of views.

Glass Up Your Garden: Teapots and ceramic flowers are perfect additions for the tea garden!

Kathy Peirce and her "Glass Up Your Garden" booth at Lexington Art Fair

Afternoon tea in the garden is a lovely way to relax, enjoy a favorite blend and take in nature's colorful show. But even the flora of the great outdoors can support a little whimsy and when it's time to class up your garden, we know where to go:  "Glass Up Your Garden".

Kathy Peirce is the creative mind behind the glass flowers and teapots on poles that add fun, color and a bit of magic to any garden area. Gifted one of her teapots a few years ago from good friends (which resides front and center in our northern Michigan tea garden), we were instant fans. Last month, we encountered what we refer to as a bit of "serendipi-tea" when we stopped in Lexington for quick visit. We had the unexpected pleasure of not only arriving when the town had their annual Art Fair going, but Kathy Peirce of Glass Up Your Garden was there, too!

Our new pink flower's home in our Pemberly Pines tea garden. (See teapot to the left).

This time we got to meet the artist in person and found her as lovely as the flowers and teapots she puts together.

My husband, Chris, and I, had a daunting task at the Glass Up Your Garden booth. There are so many beautiful and unique pieces, it was hard to choose what ornament was next to be part of our tea garden. We finally selected a large pink flower, a bold and colorful masterpiece, that will hold its own among the scattered pine and oak trees the border our secluded northern oasis. (It is, quite literally, no "shrinking violet").

A bit of "serendipi-tea" found us in Lexington during their Art Fair, where Kathy P. set up shop.

After our purchase found its new home in our Pemberly Pines Garden, we followed up with Kathy to both show her where our pink flower now resides and ask a few questions about her business. She graciously agreed to share some of her story:

A few words with Kathy Peirce of Glass Up Your Garden:

• (BTS) When did you start your business and what got you interested in creating flowers and teapot ornaments for the garden?

Kathy: I started making these pieces about 13 years ago.  My sister-in-law made me a flower and I loved it!  She taught me how to do it and I was hooked!

 

•   (BTS) You do art fairs throughout the summer.  Where can folks find your products outside of fairs? Any on-line store?

Kathy:  Art fairs during the summer are my main avenue for sales.  My Facebook page - Glass Up Your Garden - has photo albums of all of my available pieces.  Customers that live in the area are welcome to pick up from my home in Clinton Twp.  I rarely ship as it is expensive.

 

• (BTS) With all your lovely teapots, are you a tea enthusiast as well? If so, what's your favorite tea and/or favorite place to have tea?

Kathy:  I'm more of a coffee drinker but appreciate the variety of teapots I find!

And, though, we primarily drink tea in our garden, we're not opposed to a little java accompaniment from time to time. 😊

For more information, see Glass Up Your Garden's Facebook page. 

Lincoln Family Home at Hildene: Vermont estate of Robert Lincoln marks another BTS presidential-adjacent visit!

Lincoln Family Home at Hildene, summer home of Robert and Mary Lincoln, a mere 8,000 square feet

Although the Lincoln Family Home at Hildene, located in Manchester, Vermont, does not qualify for our BTS list of presidential homes and/or libraries, it's about as "presidential-adjacent" as one can get and truly a worthwhile visit.

Hildene was built by Robert Lincoln who was not only the son of the 16th president, but served in the cabinet of both Presidents Garfield and Chester A. Arthur.  That's a fortified one-degree from POTUS. 

Robert Lincoln's library

The grand foyer

Hildene was built in 1905 as the summer home of Robert Lincoln - the only child of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd to survive into adulthood - and his wife, Mary Harlan Lincoln. They "downsized" from their former estate in Chicago to the mere 8,000 square-foot home of Hildene.

The bedroom of Robert Lincoln's wife, Mary. (and, yes, I would like to have a room like this).

The interior is impressive, and guests can view the family's spaces as well as the staff quarters. The former includes Robert Lincoln's library, the dining room, which houses the Minton china the Lincoln's purchased in the early 1880's, Mary's bedroom and the grand foyer. Throughout the home , family pictures and cherished belongings are on display. A special exhibit room showcases more historic artifacts with one of Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hats proudly on display.

Hildene dining room houses the Minton china purchased by the Lincoln family

Along with the Georgian revival home/mansion, there are several other areas on the now 412 acre estate to explore. Guests can visit the formal gardens and observatory, a Pullman car (Robert Lincoln was also, for a time, president of the Pullman Company), the visitors center, and, of course, the gift shop where I purchased a pack of "Historic Peony Seeds".  These seeds are propagated from the peonies originally planted by Jessie Lincoln, daughter of Robert and Mary Lincoln, as a gift to her mother. (We just planted these heirloom seeds at our tea garden at Pemberly Pines. We'll update next spring!)

Hildene heirloom peony seeds

From peonies given to Mary by her daughter

Historic addition to Pemberly Pines tea garden. We'll check back in the spring.

Another worthwhile spot to visit is a small brick-lined border in front of the Hildene home that outlines the size of the Kentucky cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born. It shows just how far the Lincoln family had come in only a generation.

Brick border in front of Hildene shows the size of the cabin where Abe Lincoln was born. 

As noted on the Lincoln Family Home at Hildene's website, Peggy Beckwith, Abraham Lincoln’s great-granddaughter was the last Lincoln descendant to live at the Vermont homestead. She left the estate to the Church of Christ, Scientist in accordance with her grandmother's wishes, but the Church soon realized they were not in a position to be the caretaker of this historic home.  They planned to sell Hildene to developers, but when local neighbors and community members learned of the Church's plans, they fought to save it, eventually winning right to purchase Hildene. The non-profit Friends of Hildene purchased the estate in 1978 and began the long process of restoring the home and formal garden.

Robert Lincoln's observatory

President Lincoln's stovepipe hat

We truly enjoyed touring Hildene and special thanks, to Pam B. (BTS team member/birthday twin) for recommending this historic estate visit as well as fav NY-er, Jenna, for her suggestion for another stop in the future. Jenna visited many times with family during the holiday season and says the lighted pathway to Hildene in November/December months adds a festive touch to the Lincoln homestead.

We're thinking, we may need to create another list: presidential-adjacent sites to visit (and revisit!). 😉

A visit to Calvin Coolidge's Vermont home: Another "notch" on our presidential landmark scorecard!

 

Plymouth Notch, birthplace of Calvin Cooldge, marks our 8th presidential home visit!

In our quest to visit as many of the presidential homes and/or libraries as we can, this past July we scored another hit on our long list at Plymouth Notch, Vermont, birthplace of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States. 

Although this was not specifically earmarked as our next presidential site stop, it was conveniently located on the path of the second leg of our two-week journey, traveling northeast to Montreal, then back to Michigan via Vermont. It also proved to be an excellent follow up to our last POTUS home trek in April.  That was the home of Warren G. Harding, in Findlay, Ohio (see blog story: Warren G. Harding Home and Library), the President who Coolidge not only served as Vice President, but became his immediate successor after Harding's sudden death. 

In fact, it was at Plymouth Notch, a scenic, rural village in central Vermont, where, Coolidge, while visiting his family homestead, received the news of Harding's death. He was given the oath of office by his father, a notary public, at 2:47 A.M. on August 3, 1923. And, as the story goes, after being sworn in, Coolidge, known for being quiet and reserved, calmly went back upstairs to bed.

Outside the Coolidge Museum in Vermont in July

While we found no evidence of Calvin Coolidge's favorite tea, we did see on display in the Plymouth Notch museum, a tea set from 1927 that was used by the Coolidge family in the White House.

In addition, we did learn of a drink that bears the Coolidge name. It was created for the Republican Convention held in Cleveland, Ohio to generate some excitement. Coolidge was his party's nominee in 1924, but the convention was reportedly so dull, that many of the delegates began to leave. Will Rogers, famous humorist of the time, was noted as saying they should open up the churches in Cleveland to liven things up. 

A 1927 tea service, on display in the museum, was used by the Coolidge family at the White House

Enter the "Keep Cool with Coolidge Highball", a drink made up of raw eggs and fruit juices. It doesn't seem to have gained any traction (and we're grateful for that).

Chris outside the Coolidge Homestead.

While the cool concoction may not stood the test of the time, Plymouth Notch certainly has. It is well worth the drive to this out-of-the-way spot (although, many of Vermont destinations seem to share that description). 

The school room and. . . 

 the church the Coolidge attended.

Plymouth Notch is comprised of the homes of the Coolidge family, their relatives and friends as well as church, a school house, cheese factory and a pre-1835 store with a post office on the first floor and dance hall on the second. The latter later served as Coolidge's "Summer White House Office". 

General store owned by Coolidge's father

Birthplace of Calvin Coolidge

The home where Coolidge was born in 1872, is attached to the store where his father started as storekeeper in 1868 and, in partnership with his brother-in-law, purchased seven years later. 

When Calvin Coolidge was four years old, his family moved across the road to the abode that is now referred to as the Coolidge Homestead, a bit grander and more comfortable than the president's modest birthplace.

Plymouth Notch has been maintained to keep its 18th-century and early 19th-century roots, allowing guests to experience the charm and significance of this historic site. 

This now marks our ninth presidential home/library visit for eight different presidents. Since our primary goal is to mark off at least one site for each president, we could say we only have 37 or so more to go.  A lofty ambition but, always interesting journey, we're charting more for the near future. But, if you are traveling out east, we'd highly recommend a stop at Plymouth Notch. And, while the gift shop does not sell fruit drinks combined with raw eggs, they do sell Maple Tea and along with Calvin Coolidge presidential mugs, both of which we purchased. 

For more on our visit to Plymouth Notch and other Vermont sites, visit us at our YouTube Channel: 

Barb's Tea Service - YouTube and see BTS Podcast 16! 

Secluded Celebrations, a destination worthy of the journey: Afternoon tea in Hartland, Michigan

Secluded Celebrations tearoom is enchanting inside and out.

Secluded Celebrations is a most aptly named tearoom: it's out in the "country" and it's got everything one needs for a party, specifically a tea party.  I was part of a secluded celebration here last weekend and am already looking forward to my next visit.

On Sunday, I was a guest of great tea friend, Barb T., and ultimately, the party's organizer, Sue, for an afternoon tea at Secluded Celebrations in Hartland, Michigan.  This charming, out-of-the way venue (located, appropriately, on "Old Country Way Drive"), is an extension of the home and passion of owners, Grit and Richard Francis. Landscapers with over 1,500 varieties of hostas, featured prominently on the grounds, they added a room off their home's kitchen with the purpose of serving afternoon tea to small groups. 

"Barb's at Tea." Thrilled to be a guest of Barb T.'s  at this afternoon tea."

Grit has been providing afternoon tea at Secluded Celebrations for seventeen years and, while winding down on the landscaping and farmers' markets, she plans to spend even more time in the tea business.  Good news for loyal customers and those of us who have just recenlty been introduced.

Grit pours tearoom's own blend of tea as Sue, our party's organizer, looks on.

The tearoom's decor is whimsical and enchanting, filled with fresh flowers, pretty china and colorful tablecloths with coordinating napkins. Windows, topped with grapevine garland strewn with fairy lights and dangling teacups, overlook the gardens and hummingbird feeders. The latter provides the setting for numerous hummingbird visits which stop most conversations for a few moments throughout the tea.

Strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Delicious old pear soup.

The menu is just as impressive as the ambiance. We were treated to a delicious cold pear soup along with a garden salad, fruit salad and an entree plate consisting of quiche, potato salad, spinach pie and a small caprese salad. Desert was a scrumptious strawberry shortcake served in an elegant crystal glass.

Fruit salad in compote dish.

Entree plate filled with tasty tea fare.

To accompany all the courses, three different teas are served - a variety of Secluded Celebration's own teas blends which complemented the food and can be purchased at the tearoom.

Barb T.  enjoying tea with friend, Linda.

Service was outstanding and Grit is a lovely, spirited host, welcoming old and new friends with warmth and humor. 

Our organizer, Sue, filled two tables of five guests each. Secluded Celebrations can accommodate up to twelve comfortably.  Seating is by reservation only and served throughout the year. 

Secluded Celebrations entryway with beautiful gardens throughout the estate.

We plan to drive to out to the country again for more celebrating. It truly is the destination worth the journey (about an hour's drive from our home in north Oakland County) which takes us through highways, byways and a few dirt roads. It is indeed secluded, but perfect for a party!

Helpful signs at end of the driveway, alert guests: "you made it"!

To contact, see Secluded Celebrations on Facebook. 

One of two tables of five. Tearoom can accommodate up to twelve.